time / chase and status
marka / dub phizix
rhymes / hannah wants
triangles / logistics
contact / my nu long
boxed off / patrick topping
sleepless / wilkinson
higher ground / tnght
toulouse / nicky romero
out the blue / sub focus
workout / andy c
Sunday 21 December 2014
Saturday 20 December 2014
reflections//
wow i am blogging for the first time since i have started uni - ironically my journalism degree. funny how something so relevant has left my blog absolutely bereft since september!
i have now come home from uni for christmas, and i'll be here for the next three and a half weeks. i'm definitely aiming to start posting more regularly over the next few weeks an hopefully carry on when i'm back at uni.
i was reading over my old blog earlier (whilst cringing at how shit my writing/my fashion/myself in general was) and found a post summing up 2013, month by month. this year has been pretty fabulou$ so i thought i'd do another for 2014 - cliche but i can't believe how quickly it's gone.
JANUARY// my 18th birthday - the day i'd been waiting for since i was about 15 (maybe earlier). i went to brighton for my birthday and the only parts i really remember were shouting at the bouncer for not id'ing me (with legit id for the first time) and throwing up in the morning. definitely a sign of a good night. also in january i saw andy c for the first time live and he was (as predicted) amazing. good month in general.
FEBRUARY// most of february seems to have been spent on nights out, judging by my facebook uploads. this is true both financially and physically; i don't think i've ever been so well acquainted with cookies and yates in a month. i'm pretty sure i was one vodka shot away from the bouncers knowing my name and dob off by heart.
MARCH// i think i'd have to sum this up by calling it an experimental month. i stopped eating carbs to see if it would help me sleep and it benefitted me so much. my skin became brighter, i slept so much better, i had more energy.. and then the chocolate cravings kicked in. i've done it twice now, both for about a month at a time but it's difficult and expensive. finding carb free (and sugar free) foods is a lot harder than you'd assume! i think i might try and go back to it in the new year so i might do some individual posts on it.
APRIL// this was band month. i got to see my fav band don broco and that's all the matters really. i also used to be a huge you me at six fan and they were the main act of that night, and were amazing. i'd genuinely forgotten how much i loved their music and seeing them live brought it all back. i stand by the fact that their old stuff is a lot stronger but even their new songs have so much atmosphere live.
MAY// the best thing about may was probably seeing b traits at ttp. considering i'm from the edge of the middle of nowhere there's actually a lot of decent music going on here. may was also the start of my a2 exams (aka the most stressful time of my life to date). i've been reading through my twitter feed from may and it's basically me complaining about psychology revision, which i think is a pretty accurate portrayal of the month.
JUNE// i don't have a single post or tagged photo of life during june - if i didn't know better i would assume i'd been in a coma if it hadn't been for angry exam based tweets. a good thing in june? i applied for the lloyds' scholarship programme at uni (primarily on the basis that i wanted to see what their maths test entailed..oops) and got called through for a telephone interview. said interview was most definitely the worst interview i have ever done in my whole life but somehow i got through to the next stage - maybe there is a god after all.
JULY// this was holiday month. a week in fuerteventura where i burnt horrifically and then tanned over it, and then a week in tunisia which was absolutely fabulous. i had approximately 20 hours between the holidays including a 2 hour transfer each way from stansted airport which was a laugh (about as hilarious as pulling my teeth out individually). it was a pretty stressful month - i'd finished my a2 exams but spent most days near enough pulling my teeth out over potential results.
AUGUST// fabulous. there is no other way to sum up august. it absolutely flew by too. primarily because i got a*ab on my results and got into my top uni choice, but the month in general was really good. i got a call by the editor of the tab asking me to write an article for them that i'd pitched, i went to an assessment centre for lloyds' scholars and found out i got onto their programme, and on top of that i went to sundown festival and saw andy c, wilkinson, loadstar, and (my absolute favourites) chase and status. need i say more?
SEPTEMBER// i have no idea why september went so quickly because i didn't really do anything major until the 20th, when i moved to sheffield. i had a catch up with all my old friends which was great, and then moved to shef and had freshers week. i literally can't put freshers into words - i went out every night for ten days straight and was very ill after but it was all worth it. i made loads of friends who have now become my best mates at uni - freshers was amazing.
OCTOBER// settling into uni life. starting uni at 8am everyday made me one alarm ring off of suicidal at some points but i can now write shorthand at about 70/80wpm - it's not quite 100 but we're getting there! my writing also improved loads thanks to our workshops. i got a high 2:1 on my first presentation which made me even happier. i got picked to go to channel 4 and the guardian's journalism trainee days in london which were really interesting, and went out for halloween on the same night. managing to get ridiculously drunk in the space of about half an hour was mutually hilarious and concerning, depending on which way you look at it.
NOVEMBER// this was off to a fab start right away by seeing andy c on the first night. it was quite possibly the best night out i've had in sheffield up to this point and was absolutely amazing. we also saw patrick topping at my favourite club (fez) in sheffield, and have been there so many times since. i'm fairly sure the only other thing i've done as frequently as this was eat pizza, thanks to my mate's obsession with it (her ears practically prick up if you mention pepperoni).
DECEMBER// and here we are now! we are yet to have new year's eve which is scheduled to also be an amazing night seeing hannah wants in birmingham. it's now the 20th and i still have barely started my christmas shopping. just this week alone i've had three amazing nights out including seeing chase and status, i've swapped secret santa presents, eaten three christmas dinners with different people and now i'm finally home for a few weeks. this year has been incredible, and in particular university. is it too early to get excited for next year?
i have now come home from uni for christmas, and i'll be here for the next three and a half weeks. i'm definitely aiming to start posting more regularly over the next few weeks an hopefully carry on when i'm back at uni.
i was reading over my old blog earlier (whilst cringing at how shit my writing/my fashion/myself in general was) and found a post summing up 2013, month by month. this year has been pretty fabulou$ so i thought i'd do another for 2014 - cliche but i can't believe how quickly it's gone.
JANUARY// my 18th birthday - the day i'd been waiting for since i was about 15 (maybe earlier). i went to brighton for my birthday and the only parts i really remember were shouting at the bouncer for not id'ing me (with legit id for the first time) and throwing up in the morning. definitely a sign of a good night. also in january i saw andy c for the first time live and he was (as predicted) amazing. good month in general.
FEBRUARY// most of february seems to have been spent on nights out, judging by my facebook uploads. this is true both financially and physically; i don't think i've ever been so well acquainted with cookies and yates in a month. i'm pretty sure i was one vodka shot away from the bouncers knowing my name and dob off by heart.
MARCH// i think i'd have to sum this up by calling it an experimental month. i stopped eating carbs to see if it would help me sleep and it benefitted me so much. my skin became brighter, i slept so much better, i had more energy.. and then the chocolate cravings kicked in. i've done it twice now, both for about a month at a time but it's difficult and expensive. finding carb free (and sugar free) foods is a lot harder than you'd assume! i think i might try and go back to it in the new year so i might do some individual posts on it.
APRIL// this was band month. i got to see my fav band don broco and that's all the matters really. i also used to be a huge you me at six fan and they were the main act of that night, and were amazing. i'd genuinely forgotten how much i loved their music and seeing them live brought it all back. i stand by the fact that their old stuff is a lot stronger but even their new songs have so much atmosphere live.
MAY// the best thing about may was probably seeing b traits at ttp. considering i'm from the edge of the middle of nowhere there's actually a lot of decent music going on here. may was also the start of my a2 exams (aka the most stressful time of my life to date). i've been reading through my twitter feed from may and it's basically me complaining about psychology revision, which i think is a pretty accurate portrayal of the month.
JUNE// i don't have a single post or tagged photo of life during june - if i didn't know better i would assume i'd been in a coma if it hadn't been for angry exam based tweets. a good thing in june? i applied for the lloyds' scholarship programme at uni (primarily on the basis that i wanted to see what their maths test entailed..oops) and got called through for a telephone interview. said interview was most definitely the worst interview i have ever done in my whole life but somehow i got through to the next stage - maybe there is a god after all.
JULY// this was holiday month. a week in fuerteventura where i burnt horrifically and then tanned over it, and then a week in tunisia which was absolutely fabulous. i had approximately 20 hours between the holidays including a 2 hour transfer each way from stansted airport which was a laugh (about as hilarious as pulling my teeth out individually). it was a pretty stressful month - i'd finished my a2 exams but spent most days near enough pulling my teeth out over potential results.
AUGUST// fabulous. there is no other way to sum up august. it absolutely flew by too. primarily because i got a*ab on my results and got into my top uni choice, but the month in general was really good. i got a call by the editor of the tab asking me to write an article for them that i'd pitched, i went to an assessment centre for lloyds' scholars and found out i got onto their programme, and on top of that i went to sundown festival and saw andy c, wilkinson, loadstar, and (my absolute favourites) chase and status. need i say more?
SEPTEMBER// i have no idea why september went so quickly because i didn't really do anything major until the 20th, when i moved to sheffield. i had a catch up with all my old friends which was great, and then moved to shef and had freshers week. i literally can't put freshers into words - i went out every night for ten days straight and was very ill after but it was all worth it. i made loads of friends who have now become my best mates at uni - freshers was amazing.
OCTOBER// settling into uni life. starting uni at 8am everyday made me one alarm ring off of suicidal at some points but i can now write shorthand at about 70/80wpm - it's not quite 100 but we're getting there! my writing also improved loads thanks to our workshops. i got a high 2:1 on my first presentation which made me even happier. i got picked to go to channel 4 and the guardian's journalism trainee days in london which were really interesting, and went out for halloween on the same night. managing to get ridiculously drunk in the space of about half an hour was mutually hilarious and concerning, depending on which way you look at it.
NOVEMBER// this was off to a fab start right away by seeing andy c on the first night. it was quite possibly the best night out i've had in sheffield up to this point and was absolutely amazing. we also saw patrick topping at my favourite club (fez) in sheffield, and have been there so many times since. i'm fairly sure the only other thing i've done as frequently as this was eat pizza, thanks to my mate's obsession with it (her ears practically prick up if you mention pepperoni).
DECEMBER// and here we are now! we are yet to have new year's eve which is scheduled to also be an amazing night seeing hannah wants in birmingham. it's now the 20th and i still have barely started my christmas shopping. just this week alone i've had three amazing nights out including seeing chase and status, i've swapped secret santa presents, eaten three christmas dinners with different people and now i'm finally home for a few weeks. this year has been incredible, and in particular university. is it too early to get excited for next year?
Friday 12 September 2014
uni homeware haul //
if there were a competition for 'which undergraduate student can buy the biggest load of 'stuff' for their room in 2 weeks' then i'm pretty sure i would place first (or a very close second; there might be someone out there with a bigger hoarding obsession than me). considering the average room in halls is pretty small, i was lucky i opted for the 'deluxe' bigger option. although with the amount of trinkets and cute bowls i've bought, an entire flat may be more appropriate. i've always had a love for unique things - charity shops are slowly becoming my second home. saying that, the majority of stuff i've bought here has been from abroad, or lucky picks from homeware stores. i'm considering it all to be a good use of money, but there's a high chance a lot of it will end up pointlessly sitting on shelves in my room, but isn't that the point?
i think the excessive candles, considering they're classed as a fire hazard, may have been a low point during my shopping escapades.
i think the excessive candles, considering they're classed as a fire hazard, may have been a low point during my shopping escapades.
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| Buddha statue - wilkinsons |
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| Orange candle and jar - Tiger |
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| Cactus candles - Tiger |
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| Patchwork cushions - Camden stall |
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| Paisley/Patterned cushions - Charity shop |
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| Orange bowl - Tunisia |
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| Glass mini jars - Tunisia |
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| Gold/brass candlesticks - Charity shop |
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| Blue ohm/sunshine print throw - Camden |
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| Black and gold throw - Charity shop |
Sunday 17 August 2014
hunger of the pine//
alt-j have a new song out and it's amazing - listen out for the ever unexpected miley cyrus
(this is the perfect song to listen to in this weather - it's currently verging on hurricane strength wind and rain here)
Saturday 16 August 2014
Mini 'I got into Sheffield' haul //
Well! Here we are! Slightly overdue I'll admit, but nonetheless here. In case the title of this post didn't 100% give the game away, i got my predicted grades (or a variant of, anyway) and got into my top university choice, the University of Sheffield and studying journalism. It is safe to say i am a very happy georgie right now.
When i say a variant of my grades, i mean that in one case i exceeded my grade, and in another, got the grade below. i'm kinda pissed about the grade below, but either way i'm into sheffield which was the aim anyway. my grades in the end were A* english language, A psychology and B in media. Those of you who actually know me in person will be equally bemused at the fact that i got higher in psychology than media, despite being predicted an A all year for media and barely scraping a C when it came to psychology essays. i guess overall spending my evenings in the local university library paid off - or there's some unfortunate person with my realistic grade and i got theirs by mistake. we'll never know.
Either way, i decided to have a mini celebration. i'm trying to convince myself that these are things i will now need for university (i'm sure the rips in the jeans will be great for keeping my knees warm in sheffield) but realistically after a few months of hard work it was worth it anyway.
so what did i buy?
Topshop 'mom' white ripped jeans
H&M stripe top
Topshop midi rings
Topshop gold chain necklace
River Island simple bangle
I did actually attempt to find links for each of these, but the H&M top seems to have vanished off their website, as have the Topshop jeans aside the petite ones (let's pretend there's links there). Now all i need is more results so i can go shopping again, hmmm.
Monday 11 August 2014
T Minus 67 hours//
today, i am stressed.
i think it's a given really; results day is on thursday. it's funny how those two little words can have such an effect on the entire student population (except, of course, those of us who were intelligent enough to realise a BTEC was a better choice, along with scottish students who find out before us brits) and that a few size 12 letters on a sheet of paper can have such a profound effect on someone's future.
that's the way i look at it anyway.
i've told my mum, my dad, my friends and whoever else pretends to listen that if i don't get into my first choice university (Sheffield, of course) then i'm going travelling to thailand. realistically, i'll cry, moan, complain, and then end up going through clearing and moving elsewhere in the uk. i don't want to go anywhere else.
i'm pretty sure that somewhere, on a distant corner of the earth, is a statistic proving that 99.9% of students hate their insurance choice.
i'd love to back up my argument by saying that i don't like my insurance choice based on a bad experience there (read: 6 hours of delayed trains and torrential rain) even though it's still a good university. the problem is, it's not sheffield. it's like when you love shopping, and you're given a £50 american apparel voucher. then someone takes away your voucher and replaces it with a new look one. it's still good (unless you detest new look like me) but it's not quite as good as itshould could have been.
(check me out experimenting with text effects there wahey)
either way, i have my alcohol at hand. i've already accepted i'm not going to sleep the night before, so i've got my kopparberg, my chocolate and my boxsets ready. i didn't sleep the night before AS results, despite the fact i was in turkey and (in my mind due to the time difference) i got my results two hours before everyone else, so the chance of me sleeping the night before A2 results is about as likely as me winning the lottery. hopefully somewhat more likely is my getting into sheffield.
as a self confessed control freak, the next 67 hours may potentially kill me.
i think it's a given really; results day is on thursday. it's funny how those two little words can have such an effect on the entire student population (except, of course, those of us who were intelligent enough to realise a BTEC was a better choice, along with scottish students who find out before us brits) and that a few size 12 letters on a sheet of paper can have such a profound effect on someone's future.
that's the way i look at it anyway.
i've told my mum, my dad, my friends and whoever else pretends to listen that if i don't get into my first choice university (Sheffield, of course) then i'm going travelling to thailand. realistically, i'll cry, moan, complain, and then end up going through clearing and moving elsewhere in the uk. i don't want to go anywhere else.
i'm pretty sure that somewhere, on a distant corner of the earth, is a statistic proving that 99.9% of students hate their insurance choice.
i'd love to back up my argument by saying that i don't like my insurance choice based on a bad experience there (read: 6 hours of delayed trains and torrential rain) even though it's still a good university. the problem is, it's not sheffield. it's like when you love shopping, and you're given a £50 american apparel voucher. then someone takes away your voucher and replaces it with a new look one. it's still good (unless you detest new look like me) but it's not quite as good as it
(check me out experimenting with text effects there wahey)
either way, i have my alcohol at hand. i've already accepted i'm not going to sleep the night before, so i've got my kopparberg, my chocolate and my boxsets ready. i didn't sleep the night before AS results, despite the fact i was in turkey and (in my mind due to the time difference) i got my results two hours before everyone else, so the chance of me sleeping the night before A2 results is about as likely as me winning the lottery. hopefully somewhat more likely is my getting into sheffield.
as a self confessed control freak, the next 67 hours may potentially kill me.
Sunday 10 August 2014
topshop sale festival wear//
rucksack
mesh vest
oversize shirt
denim bralet
kimono
shorts
necklace
jelly shoes
festivals are quite possibly my favourite things ever. i'll be honest - aside a stint at reading festival last year (and also early bird camping) all my festival experience has been a one day type of thing. that's not to say it's limited - i've been to slam dunk a few times along with smaller festivals. this year i'm hitting up (check me, getting down with the kids) shakedown festival and sundown. creamfields was looking to be on the cards but my friends are on holiday, which did cause a slight issue.
my absolute dream of a festival would be to go to global gathering, or edc in vegas. i have a great love for house/ dnb music and after seeing andy c live, it's come on even further. sadly, this year is not the year for me to go to either, so i'm drowning my (financial) sorrows on current sales (topshop i'm looking at you)
these are just a few things i found (and possibly added to my basket) which i thought would be perfect for festival weather. the jelly shoes are a no brainer, along with the rucksack. i'm seriously in love with the pattern of it ahhhhh.
the shorts are pretty versatile and are perfect for '25 degrees and listening to some random indie artist i've never heard of before' which could then be changed with nude tights, your best 'festival' shoes (i'm pretty sure that's an oxymoron) and a cute crop top. hence where the denim one comes in!
the trick with festivals is to learn the art of layering; one minute it could be pouring with rain and the next, 30 degrees. layering means saving yourself the effort of trekking 40 minutes back to the tent, whilst simultaneously dodging hordes of drunken teenage girls and the odd steward. layering a crop top under a mesh shirt, followed by a checked shirt (maybe leave the kimono this time) paired with shorts and (if you're more weather conscious) tights, means you'll be fit for whatever the english weather decides to throw at you!
or, alternatively, go to coachella or somewhere where there's destined to be permanent delicious weather.
Saturday 9 August 2014
dupes//
'Leaf' (we all know it's not a leaf) Print Dress: Left: Ebay £6.09 // Right: Motel Rocks £32
Bandage Bikini: Left: Ebay £8.97 // Right: Agent Provocateur £195
All White Bikini: Left: Triangl £47 // Right: Ebay £9.98
Cleated Sandals: Top: Ebay £24.99 // Bottom: Vagabond £65
Sunglasses: Top: Henry Holland £150 // Bottom: Ebay £5.45
ebay has been absolutely marvellous when it comes to replica items recently. i'm not sure, as a blogger, i should be supporting buying dupes of things (and in all honesty as i haven't been paid yet i can genuinely say i haven't bought any) however in terms of financial ability it does make buying supposed 'luxury' items much more affordable.
this is where it comes down to style vs quality. obviously, if you're after a pair of durable, long lasting, sun blocking glasses then out of the two, it's far better to buy the genuine henry holland ones. however, if it's simply the design and desire to own a pair for the aesthetic appeal then the dupes make far more sense.
i'm fully aware that dupes are a contribution to the high cost of the designer options, but in my eyes it's a paradox. normal, average consumers can't afford to throw away £150 on a pair of sunglasses, so the good fellows in china do us all a favour and create identical ones for a fraction of the price. in turn, the price of the originals goes up to support the lacking buying amounts, and the circle starts again.
it could also be said that some things on the list are expensive purely for the brand name. american apparel thigh highs, as a perfect example, are not worth £20 in production value. aa are unique in the sense that they pay high wages to their staff and this is reflected in their prices, but in my mind if i was after thigh highs i'd definitely buy the ebay equivalents rather than the aa £20 ones.
generally i guess it's down to the individual's choice - do you save your money or support a genuine company? i suppose the answer should be an obvious one, but for shoppers like myself with minimal spending allowed, the dupes do look far more tempting.
Thursday 3 July 2014
bbc3's murdered by my boyfriend//
i never usually write reviews, but watching something so.. strong has pretty much convinced me to do so.
murdered by my boyfriend is a drama on BBC3 showing the demise of a young girl as she's taken over by her boyfriend. as the name suggests, we know how it's going to end, but that doesn't make it any less shocking.
i consider myself relatively heartless but watching this has genuinely bought me to tears.
i think it's because of the strength of the character portrayal; ashley (the girlfriend/subject of abuse) is lively, chatty, popular. she doesn't fit any sort of stereotype behind the usual idea of 'abused'. reece (our abuser) does fit the representation somewhat.
the drama as a whole is very cleverly put together. the fact that it's a true story simultaneously kills me, and urges me to do anything i can in the future to lower domestic violence rates. it's all well and good everyone saying 'if my boyfriend was to hit me i'd leave him straight away'. everyone can say it, but in practice it's a whole different matter. not that i have any experience in this area, but watching and being in ashley's shoes throughout the programme does enlighten viewers into a real life situation for it.
that's the only thing missing from the programme in my opinion - although i can see where ashley is coming from when she takes reece back, i would do the opposite; run. obviously this is only from a viewer's point of view (it's gotta be completely different in 'real life' so to speak) but repeatedly taking someone abusive back is never going to end well. i'm 110% aware this is the most narrow minded view point ever, but i think, along with the help of this programme, more women (and men) will be able to see the long term prognosis of being in a relationship like that.
as a character, reece is dislikable straight away. his demeanour, his glances, his behaviour and attitudes towards ashley. that's no two way relationship - that's subtle abuse at its best. following on from this, the programme shows the friends in two different lights. on one hand, they are supportive - they urge ashley to leave reece and tell her they'll protect her. on the other side though, they don't do enough - although how much can you really do?
it could be argued that the statistics are the most shocking part. 229 women in four years are murdered as a result of domestic violence. that's just over one woman a week.
one woman a week is killed for being herself. because, realistically, that is where domestic violence is rooted from. however you try to phrase it, the cause is the same. one woman a week is murdered. i can't get over that.
my favourite thing about this programme is the awareness it brings to such a big issue. there are now hundreds of tweets/comments, meaning there are now a lot more young people who know the details of these things. the more people become aware, the less taboo it becomes to tell someone 'my boyfriend punches me' and the more can be done about it.
watching 'murdered by my boyfriend' has definitely sparked my interest (if you can call it that) into domestic violence and has encouraged me to challenge it and fight against it as a journalist.
Tuesday 24 June 2014
holography//
i think the trick with this type of 'pattern' (can you class it as a pattern?) is to pair it with something plain. a good example of this is the t shirt shown; holographic sleeves with a plain white top. it's also the kind of top that doesn't require a necklace, or at least not a statement one.
i think it would be best paired with black skinny jeans and white air force trainers, or possibly dressed up with the sliders if you're more adventurous!
i'm trying to incorporate more of this kind of thing into my wardrobe so watch this space shortly after payday.
Thursday 19 June 2014
summer goals//
this post may be pretty overdue - my summer started on 11th june this year due to finishing my A2 exams early (or not early, considering the amount of stress i went through!)
hopefully, in about 2 and a bit months i'll be starting at University of Sheffield for my BA Journalism degree. exciting, right?
the only thing i'm worried about is not being prepared enough; there's so much i want to do in my life, some of which i can quite easily do after my degree (assuming i get in.. arghhh) and others that i want to start now (because i'm impatient and essentially have a long time this summer)
- lose weight. this alone is long overdue - i remember back after i finished gcses this was my plan then..oops. two years on and i'm near enough the same weight. slightly more toned but nonetheless the same weight. i am so determined to change this, if nothing else, before i start! i keep trying to motivate myself with things like 'you can buy -insert desired object here- when you've dropped -insert appropriate number- here' but it never lasts - said item enters the sale, i lose the will to live and consequently stay the same, just slightly poorer and with a new top, for example.
- start learning shorthand. one requirement for a professional journalist is to be able to short hand at 100 wpm which at the moment is looking impossible. i'm a fast (if semi illegible ) writer but the prospect of learning it in near enough a new language is kind of scary. i have three years to perfect my shorthand skills but there's nothing like starting early!
- i also want to maximise this summer, as i've realised this is the only summer in my life (possibly) where i have 4 months without anything to do. previously there's always been the idea of starting next year's work early, but i don't know for sure where i'm going to be, as of september, which is scary but also a positive, in that i can spend the time doing as i please.
- read more! i used to spend my life reading, before banning myself for the sake of revision (and longterm; my future). my aim now is to read a lot more books, more classics and widen my knowledge generally.
- go on holidays, go to festivals, go to parties, travel a lot. i feel like this is a few points merged into one. i'm already going to egypt and fuerteventura, so expect travel journalism fresh from the other sides of the world in a month or so's time! i'm hopefully going to both sundown and shakedown festival which should be amazing. i think if i have any spare days (and let's be realistic, i probably will) then i'm going to spontaneously hop on trains and take myself around the uk with the help of my student railcard.
hopefully, in about 2 and a bit months i'll be starting at University of Sheffield for my BA Journalism degree. exciting, right?
the only thing i'm worried about is not being prepared enough; there's so much i want to do in my life, some of which i can quite easily do after my degree (assuming i get in.. arghhh) and others that i want to start now (because i'm impatient and essentially have a long time this summer)
- lose weight. this alone is long overdue - i remember back after i finished gcses this was my plan then..oops. two years on and i'm near enough the same weight. slightly more toned but nonetheless the same weight. i am so determined to change this, if nothing else, before i start! i keep trying to motivate myself with things like 'you can buy -insert desired object here- when you've dropped -insert appropriate number- here' but it never lasts - said item enters the sale, i lose the will to live and consequently stay the same, just slightly poorer and with a new top, for example.
- start learning shorthand. one requirement for a professional journalist is to be able to short hand at 100 wpm which at the moment is looking impossible. i'm a fast (if semi illegible ) writer but the prospect of learning it in near enough a new language is kind of scary. i have three years to perfect my shorthand skills but there's nothing like starting early!
- i also want to maximise this summer, as i've realised this is the only summer in my life (possibly) where i have 4 months without anything to do. previously there's always been the idea of starting next year's work early, but i don't know for sure where i'm going to be, as of september, which is scary but also a positive, in that i can spend the time doing as i please.
- read more! i used to spend my life reading, before banning myself for the sake of revision (and longterm; my future). my aim now is to read a lot more books, more classics and widen my knowledge generally.
- go on holidays, go to festivals, go to parties, travel a lot. i feel like this is a few points merged into one. i'm already going to egypt and fuerteventura, so expect travel journalism fresh from the other sides of the world in a month or so's time! i'm hopefully going to both sundown and shakedown festival which should be amazing. i think if i have any spare days (and let's be realistic, i probably will) then i'm going to spontaneously hop on trains and take myself around the uk with the help of my student railcard.
Thursday 12 June 2014
essentials//
i'm slowly getting my summer wardrobe together in the hope that by the time my holidays/uni arrive, i'll have a good stack of decent clothes.. one can hope!
i'm attempting to also rid my wardrobe of colour. i love the whole monochrome look at the moment, along with tropical prints (which don't often come in monochrome.. hmm)
i had to make an exception with the palm tree dress as i basically fell in love with it, along with the lilac and teal tropical shorts but i'm 110% sure they'll get their wear.
if i keep working as much as i am currently (i.e not much this week but loads next week) then i should build up the $dolla$ to fund my shopping habits. it's been weird having to restrain myself from online shopping recently due to no cash so i'm waiting on next payday (29th june i'm looking at you) as a sort of reward for all my 'ahem' hard work..
it's an endless cycle really; spend money, save money, get bored of the clothes i own, and repeat.
let's also all appreciate how creased my clothes look and pretend that i put time and effort into this post, rather than typing hurriedly before i lose motivation to go work out.
PLAYLIST#1
animals / martin garrix
higher ground / tnght
turn back time / sub focus
workout / andy c
tsunami / dvbbs & borgeous
ready for your love / gorgon city
smash tv / chase and status
mercy / kanye west
too late / major look
we like to party / showtek
all the wrong places / example
stronger / kanye west
no problem / chase and status
higher ground / tnght
turn back time / sub focus
workout / andy c
tsunami / dvbbs & borgeous
ready for your love / gorgon city
smash tv / chase and status
mercy / kanye west
too late / major look
we like to party / showtek
all the wrong places / example
stronger / kanye west
no problem / chase and status
changes//
i'm not sure whether i can legitimately blame weight gain on exams. i'm pretty sure there's no statistical correlational evidence suggesting that my exam has caused 6lbs to magically appear on my body, but perhaps there is. the evidence is well, evident on my body anyhow. you know that kind of weight gain you can feel creeping up on you, but you choose to ignore?
i'll be honest and say i've managed to ostrichize this issue and put it to the back of my mind, away from biosocial gender explanations and 8+16 marks of evaluation. the problem is that now, the rest of the issues have floated away (along with potentially my future) so i'm having to face this.
it's not that i don't want to - i love exercise (once i'm back in a routine of doing it) and i have previously been waaaay lighter than i am now (both physically and mentally) so i'm kind of excited to get back into a routine.
it's just the motivation of starting.
i used to be able to go to the gym and burn 1300 calories 4 times a week - sure, i would feel it massively afterwards and may or may not have been suffering from a slight eating disorder but nonetheless i was fit. and light(ish).
i think i'm gonna aim to use this blog to not only channel my creative expressions (and probably quite a few not so creative ones) but to motivate myself. as of today (12th june 2014) i have approximately 100 days before i start university of sheffield, as long as i get my grades. that's gotta be motivation enough, right?
i'll be honest and say i've managed to ostrichize this issue and put it to the back of my mind, away from biosocial gender explanations and 8+16 marks of evaluation. the problem is that now, the rest of the issues have floated away (along with potentially my future) so i'm having to face this.
it's not that i don't want to - i love exercise (once i'm back in a routine of doing it) and i have previously been waaaay lighter than i am now (both physically and mentally) so i'm kind of excited to get back into a routine.
it's just the motivation of starting.
i used to be able to go to the gym and burn 1300 calories 4 times a week - sure, i would feel it massively afterwards and may or may not have been suffering from a slight eating disorder but nonetheless i was fit. and light(ish).
i think i'm gonna aim to use this blog to not only channel my creative expressions (and probably quite a few not so creative ones) but to motivate myself. as of today (12th june 2014) i have approximately 100 days before i start university of sheffield, as long as i get my grades. that's gotta be motivation enough, right?
Wednesday 11 June 2014
hey taro//
i think i'm slowly discovering my niche. it's hard deciding what you want to do with your life; i'm lucky in the sense that my general plan has been mapped out for years now (this is starting to sound far much too like a dodgy personal statement).
i remember back in year eleven that i wanted to write, but within that was far harder to distinguish. a writer? no chance. i get distracted far too easily; my books would become self confessed fictional diaries (believe me, i've tried before) or plotless 'happy ever afters'. enjoyable to read, but essentially pointless, both in style and content.
of course, i was always aware there were many different careers within 'writing' as a key word. i could become one of those smooth talking salespeople convincing innocent victims to buy their products. i could become a technical writer (and nearly accidentally applied for a job to be one, oops) and resort to a condescending nature to fund my lifestyle.
or i could become a journalist.
i imagine the idea came to me like a lightbulb turning on, or perhaps a simpsons-esque epiphany. in reality i'm fairly certain it was a growing suggestion which evolved into the ideal career choice.
i'm not sure if it's due to my personality factors or just an innate ability to get people to tell me their problems. saying that, although i wouldn't mind being a broadcast/newspaper journalist it's certainly not my first choice.
this is where the idea of having a niche comes in.
funnily enough, i discovered this particular aspect through music. again, this is starting to sound ridiculously pretentious, and in one sense it truly is.
taro - alt-j; the discovery of my niche.
i've always been one of those people who actually listens to music - the lyrics, the beat, the rhythm. there's something so innocent about listening to the same song but recalling different parts separately, and then putting them back together like some elaborate jigsaw and 'seeing' the song in a whole new meaning.
"robert capa helped me find my niche." maybe i'll write that in my autobiography, if i do succeed in my career choice and go on to be famous.
i've written a lot of paragraphs and even more words and still haven't established that my niche consists of travel journalism with photojournalism. only those with a lot of 'cultural capital' as my media teacher jan would say, could possibly forage between the sentences to find what i'm actually trying to say.
i want to become a travel/photojournalist because it combines two things i love - i want to travel the world, i want to learn to speak greek and arabic and turkish and spanish, i want to move abroad and explore different cultures and try new foods. photojournalism is the best way of recording it. writing is easier when expressed with photos - war journalism only properly expressed the horrors of war with visual images; the human brain can only interpret a realistic portrait of events with retinal displays.
I AM A FREE ELF//
it is 12:09AM on thursday 12th june 2014. i have now been free of exams (read:college in general/studying/pseudo revision and probably the contents of my social life) for approximately 13 hours and 9 minutes. no doubt by the time i've finished writing this post it'll have increased slightly, or dramatically if i fall asleep/lose my motivation before i click 'publish'.
it's a weird feeling knowing i've finished. this is potentially the only time in my life where i have 4 months to sit around and do nothing. obviously, there's loads of things i can do - workout, see my friends, watch endless tv, but i'm not sure i can fit a whole lifetime's 'sitting around' into the space of 4 months. it's worth a shot though.
it's now 12:13AM and for possibly the first time in my life i'm struggling to write. it's ironic how pre-exams i made wild plans for tonight - before realising that it's not especially socially acceptable to go drinking on a wednesday night. within term time. on your own.
instead, i'm sitting in bed contemplating taking my makeup off, while listening to andy c at about 10 decibels and drinking fizzy peach water. #clubcanthandlemenow
as a first post i'm fully aware this isn't up to standard. i should be plotting my hopes and dreams, or explaining my favourite songs, or .. revising? (i still can't get it out of my head)
my mind should be filled with summer plans - hot foreign days punctuated with waves, long nights trooping round unknown places wishing i'd worn more comfortable shoes, evenings both remembered and forgotten. instead, i'm worrying about things like my explanation of the elaboration likelihood model, how to correctly define the term 'abstract' and whether social democratisation is truly the biggest contributing factor for language change in the modern world. don't do a levels, kids, they're not worth the stress.
radio one has just reminded me that i'm listening to andy c's essential mix and my phone has just reminded me that it's 12:23AM and this post is still unfinished in more than one way.
i feel like i should be representing myself in a more positive way - highlighting my academic abilities of an a2 level english language student by appropriately adding commas and fullstops and not adding too many coordinating conjunctions and remembering to end my sentences with anything but a preposition.
'obligation' is realistically the reason why i'm still awake; i haven't had more than 6 hours sleep for the past two weeks, along with 4.5 hours of exams, 3.5 hours of work and about 100.5 hours of revision all within the past 48 hours. it's possible, i promise you.
it's a weird feeling knowing i've finished. this is potentially the only time in my life where i have 4 months to sit around and do nothing. obviously, there's loads of things i can do - workout, see my friends, watch endless tv, but i'm not sure i can fit a whole lifetime's 'sitting around' into the space of 4 months. it's worth a shot though.
it's now 12:13AM and for possibly the first time in my life i'm struggling to write. it's ironic how pre-exams i made wild plans for tonight - before realising that it's not especially socially acceptable to go drinking on a wednesday night. within term time. on your own.
instead, i'm sitting in bed contemplating taking my makeup off, while listening to andy c at about 10 decibels and drinking fizzy peach water. #clubcanthandlemenow
as a first post i'm fully aware this isn't up to standard. i should be plotting my hopes and dreams, or explaining my favourite songs, or .. revising? (i still can't get it out of my head)
my mind should be filled with summer plans - hot foreign days punctuated with waves, long nights trooping round unknown places wishing i'd worn more comfortable shoes, evenings both remembered and forgotten. instead, i'm worrying about things like my explanation of the elaboration likelihood model, how to correctly define the term 'abstract' and whether social democratisation is truly the biggest contributing factor for language change in the modern world. don't do a levels, kids, they're not worth the stress.
radio one has just reminded me that i'm listening to andy c's essential mix and my phone has just reminded me that it's 12:23AM and this post is still unfinished in more than one way.
i feel like i should be representing myself in a more positive way - highlighting my academic abilities of an a2 level english language student by appropriately adding commas and fullstops and not adding too many coordinating conjunctions and remembering to end my sentences with anything but a preposition.
'obligation' is realistically the reason why i'm still awake; i haven't had more than 6 hours sleep for the past two weeks, along with 4.5 hours of exams, 3.5 hours of work and about 100.5 hours of revision all within the past 48 hours. it's possible, i promise you.
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